Reforming America: Doing the Right Thing When Nobody is Watching
While there are many things we can do publicly to make our nation a better place to live we need to remember that it is also important to do the things that nobody will ever reward us for to serve the greater good. Doing the right thing when nobody is watching is essential to the advancement of our nation and our people. The things that require the most effort to change and the most needed changes are often the ones that nobody really pays attention to. Those small personal efforts on a daily basis are the ones that make the biggest difference even if they don’t bring the personal glory.
In some ways, it is really people individually making a small effort that makes larger change possible. For example, if individuals did not separate their trash into recyclables and non-recyclables there would be nothing for many recyclers to recycle and the landfills would be full of materials that we could be using to keep from stripping our planet of natural resources unnecessarily. Those individual small acts are absolutely essential to the success of the larger recycling effort that supports the overall effort of working to save the environment.
What drives those small efforts is personal commitment to change. We as individuals have to be willing to sacrifice for change or it will not come. We have to do the right thing and expect nothing in return if there is to be a successful effort to bring positive change to our nation. That is where activism becomes difficult but we have to stick with it if we want change to come. Everyone knows that it is easy to find motivation when you are getting positive reinforcement and encouragement. What is more difficult and far more important is for us to persevere when we are not being supported or encouraged to do the right thing. Nobody is going to give you an award for taking your bottles and cans to the recycler but it is still important to do.
Obviously, doing our part is more than simply recycling but it is a good example of something we all should do to make our world and our nation a better place for our children and theirs. Most of us can afford to buy that extra can of corn when we’re shopping each week to drop in the food bank donation barrel so if you can you should. That little gesture makes a huge difference to the people most at need in our society. Whether it is working with a local afterschool program to help keep kids off the street or volunteering an hour to man a table at a charity event there are numerous things that we can each do that collectively make a big difference. They will not put us on the front page or win us any prestigious awards but they make a difference and move us in the right direction.
Troy Wilson-Ripsom | Staff Writer | E-mail Comments on this column. | Click icon to Digg this article
 Get Involved Do you sit and yell at the TV when politicians come on? Do you shake your head sadly whenever you see a homeless veteran? Is that all you tend to do? It's time to put up or shut up America. We all love to talk about how we could do things better or how we would do it if we were in charge. Well, it's time to put your money where your mouth is. If you can think of it, you can write it down. If you can write it down, you can type it. If you can type it, you can e-mail it and if you can e-mail it, you can send it here. We at Reform America are committed to giving voice to anyone who wants to put their ideas out there to make our nation a better place. As the readership grows, we are able to take those views to a wider and wider audience. Grassroots campaigns begin with voices speaking out. You have opinions. Voice them. We aren't about conservative or liberal. We aren't about pro-this or anti-that. We're about Americans and the First Amendment. Reform America is about politics by, for and of the people. You are the people. You only need to speak up. America is listening. Send your article to: stories@reform-america.net |
|
